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Md. Green Party Protests Exclusion from Gubernatorial Debates

ELECTION:

Md. Green Party Protests Exclusion from Gubernatorial Debates

SOURCE: Maryland Green Party

“Martin O’Malley and Robert Ehrlich do not want democracy, and their behavior in this matter attests to that,” says Maria Allwine, the Green Party candidate for State Senate from the 43rd District.

When the campaign staff of Green Party gubernatorial candidate Ed Boyd learned from WJZ-TV Channel 13 that there would be a debate between Mayor Martin O’Malley and Governor Robert Ehrlich that would be taped on Saturday, October 14 at Coppin State College, they sought to have Boyd included. They called WJZ every day of the week prior to the debate, but were told that no information was being released.

“The O’Malley camp told the Boyd camp to contact WJZ concerning inclusion in the debates, but the Boyd camp has been locked out when contacting the news station,” said Brandy Baker, the Green Party candidate for State Delegate in the 43rd District, in a prepared statement to the press. “The Boyd camp has received calls from Maryland residents telling us that WJZ was telling them to contact the O’Malley and Ehrlich teams. This is not the way in which either the O’Malley and Ehrlich teams or the networks should have been handling this.”

The Boyd campaign was finally informed that there would be not one, but two debates scheduled for Saturday, October 14, but Boyd was excluded from both of them.

The first was filmed live at Maryland Public Television studios at 7PM, and was simucast on WBAL Channel 11. The second was the taped WJZ Channel 13 debate, which was held at 1PM and will be shown at 7PM on Monday, October 16.

“Clearly, the candidates do not even want to debate one another, let alone debate me,” said Green Party candidate for Governor Ed Boyd, noting how the O’Malley and Ehrlich camps, along with the networks, did not notify the public of the details even the day before the events.

Boyd added, “It is also clear that O’Malley and Ehrlich also fear that the Green Party positions will stand out from theirs if I am included." He felt the two other candidates would not want it brought out that they both support the death penalty, support the Intercounty Connector highway project, and oppose universal health care.

“Martin O’Malley and Robert Ehrlich do not want democracy, and their behavior in this matter attests to that,” says Maria Allwine, the Green Party candidate for State Senate from the 43rd District. “We are disappointed by these shenanigans, but we are not surprised.”

There was a Maryland Green Party protest at the site of the debate at Maryland Public Television in Owings Mills on Saturday, October 14.

Earlier on Saturday, Boyd showed his support for the Algebra Project during their Freedom Fall event at Greenmount Cemetery. “Supporting our school kids in their hour of need is far more important than hearing O’Malley and Ehrlich blabbing to each other over things they’ve never done or of what they promise to do, but will never deliver on,” said Boyd.